Myanmar nationals misused Indians' GST credentials for drug trafficking: ED

Probe found, the ED said, the "misuse" of GST credentials belonging to Indian nationals by Myanmar nationals to facilitate the purchase of raw materials essential for the manufacture of drugs

Investigation into a cross-border narcotics trafficking racket has found that Myanmarese nationals "misused" GST credentials of Indians to facilitate purchase of raw material required for manufacturing drugs, the ED said.

The federal probe agency had conducted its first-ever searches along the India-Myanmar border on November 27 following registration of a money laundering case into a drugs trafficking case of Mizoram.

Locations across Aizawl and Champhai (along India-Myanmar border) in Mizoram, Sribhumi (Karimganj) in Assam and Ahmedabad in Gujarat were raided under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

India shares a 1,643-km-long front with Myanmar on its eastern side.

Evidence gathered during the searches indicated that Indians procured Pseudoephedrine tablets and Caffeine Anhydrous on behalf of Myanmar nationals, enabling trans-border drug production and trafficking apart from money laundering, the Enforcement Directorate said in a statement issued on Friday.

Probe found, the ED said, the "misuse" of GST credentials belonging to Indian nationals by Myanmar nationals to facilitate the purchase of raw materials essential for the manufacture of Methamphetamine tablets.

"Additionally, evidence indicates that Indians procured Pseudoephedrine tablets and Caffeine Anhydrous on behalf of Myanmar nationals, enabling the cross-border drug production and trafficking network and laundered money in this process," it said.

This scheme supported the supply chain of narcotics manufacturing, particularly affecting the "porous" Indo-Myanmar border regions like Mizoram, with financial and smuggling links spanning multiple Indian states and money laundering through these activities, according to the agency.

Cash of Rs 46.7 lakh was seized from certain Hawala operatives and others and the agency froze 21 bank accounts during the raids.

The ED case stems from a Mizoram Police FIR into the seizure of 4.72 kg of heroin worth Rs 1.41 crore from six people.